What is the main benefit of using RAID 50 in data applications?

Using RAID 50 combines the features of RAID 5 and RAID 0, resulting in both high reliability and improved performance. RAID 5 provides fault tolerance by using parity, allowing for the recovery of data in the event of a single disk failure. When this is combined with the striping of RAID 0, RAID 50 increases data access speeds by distributing I/O operations across multiple disks.

Thus, the main benefit of RAID 50 lies in its ability to offer high reliability—thanks to the redundancy provided by the parity—and excellent data transfer rates due to the parallel processing capabilities of the striped disks. This configuration is particularly advantageous for data applications that require both performance and fault tolerance, making it an ideal choice for environments where data integrity and speed are crucial.

Although other options mention aspects such as compression rates, disk access speed, and cost-effectiveness, they do not encapsulate the primary advantages of RAID 50 as effectively as the aspects related to reliability and data transfer rates do.